Tuesday, January 31, 2012

As my previous post indicated, I am inspired by fellow stamper and JAI Design Team member Kathy Tanner, and wanted to CASE another card of hers (click here to see Kathy's cards) and so as I needed to prepare for my first Stamp Class for 2012 for this Friday and I also wanted to showcase the Emboss Resist Technique...I thought why not combine all three!

So that is what I did and I created these cards in two different colour ways for my class attendees to choose from, similar to what Kathy did for her stamp club.

The above card also allowed me to try a technique demonstrated by Carolyn Rakowski at Stampin' Up! Regionals in Hobart last September. Carolyn demonstrated 3D flowers and her Top Note Box. Her leaves were made by stamping French Foliage leaves with Cajun Craze onto Wild Wasabi cardstock. Using a bone scorer you score the centre grain of the leaf and then bend the leaf edges under. I enjoyed trying this technique on my leaf embelishment which I raised off my card with Stampin' Dimensionals. Here is a close up of the leaf, not sure how well you can see the scored grain lines...

Leaf close-up

Not Quite Navy and Basic Black

The second card I used Not Quite Navy and Basic Black as the colour combo and instead of a strip of ribbon and a leaf, I decided to add some Linen Thread and a 5/8" Jumbo Brad, onto wich I stamped 4YOU using Black Staz On ink.

I hope my class attendees enjoy making these cards as much as I did. Now off to prepare the class kits and step-by-step instructions.

Perfect day here to be in my craft room, wet and windy outside! Which is why my photos look a little overcast in my opinion.

Sunday, January 29, 2012

This week's challenge at Just Add Ink is to find inspiration from one of the talented Design Team...Kathy Tanner and to CASE her work! Kathy's work is beautiful and I am always inspired by what she creates. So go check out her blog, find a card you like and taking inspiration from it, either CASE it or put your own spin on it, and then upload your project on the Just Add Ink blog!

There are several cards of Kathy's in my TO CASE file, but I ended up finding inspiration from one on her blog that I just came across when searching for a baby card to make for my daugher who was about to go out to her friend's baby shower...a "onesie" card...click here to see Kathy's card.

Here is the card I created...

Hopefully I will find the time and ability to sit long enough to CASE another of Kathy's cards.

On a sad note it is farewell to another Design Team member, Paula Dobson. This is her last week of submitting entries for JAI as a Design Team member, but I hope she joins in future challenges as a participant. In the meantime I will continue to stalk her blog and to see what she is up to. It was so lovely to meet her face to face at last year's SU! Convention and to get to know her better. We will miss you Paula!

The title of my post is for my friend's new venture, Wishes and Dreams, a children's clothing and accessories store that she has bought and is managing. Several weeks ago Letitia asked me if I would make her some baby and children's birthday cards for the shop, and as you probably already know, my life was a bit busy at that time with weddings etc. So it hasn't been until last week that I managed to create some cards for her and only now that I have had time to post them to my blog.

Although MY wishes and dreams is for my life and health to settle down a bit. It seems that we get over one hurdle that another pops up in our path. About 6-8 months ago (I think that was when it was) I suffered severe vertigo and had to be hospitalised for a few days...the room and world would just not stop spinning! Well, it seems to have returned with the last couple of days being a bit topsy turvey through my eyes and my spine feels a bit of a burning sensation. I may have done something on Australia Day when I went on a girls night out with my 2 BFFs and we had FOUR games of ten pin bowling!! Maybe it is just that I am getting older and my body too! As a result of this, I can only spent very short stints of time on the laptop as reading the screen makes my eyes and dizziness a bit worse.

So without further ado here is a group shot of the cards that I made, in varying colour combos, as many people don't know the sex of their baby until it arrives and so neutral colours, as well as pinks and blues, are desired.

Ready to deliver

Now some close-up shots...

Pink and Blue 1st Birthday Cards

Gift cards

Baby Congratulations - varying colour ways!

Birthday Cards (generic)

I had fun making these cards and now that I have seen what products and items she sells in the shop, when I delivered this first batch, I can make some more coordinated ones for her store.

That's a long enough stint on the laptop, time to walk around a little and stretch out the back and neck!

Friday, January 13, 2012

Well can you believe it...Just Add Ink's 100th challenge! Amanda and Danielle started this great Australian/New Zealand challenge site a while back now and we are up to our 100th challenge, coming through a few changes along the way, including changes in the leadership and some Design Team members. It is so exciting to be a part of such a fabulous challenge site and to be a part of such a great team.

To make this week a little different we have decided to have a Blog Hop to share what the Design Team have created to inspire you in joining in the 100th challenge and as it is such a milestone the challenge is to "Just Add...a Crown".

You have most likely just come from Kim's blog, such a talented lady, and here is what I've come up with...a simple, bright and cheery card using Under the Big Top...putting a gold crown on the celebrating elephant! If you didn't come from Kim's blog but would like to follow along on the Blog Hop then just click on the badge below to go to Nikki's blog, another inspirational lady. If you get stuck just go to the JAI blog to find all the links.

Another thing that we are doing differently for this week's challenge is to offer a prize for the Top Pick and a prize also for commenting on all the DT member posts. So don't forget to leave comments as you hop around our blogs and definitely don't forget to join in the challenge and upload your submission on the JAI blog.

I also promise to be back soon to not only share some of my crafting projects but also some snapshots of my son's wedding this weekend.

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to celebrate with us at JAI and enter your project with a crown.

PS - sorry for letting the team down with my post not going live at the correct time, thought I had it all under control but alas not!

Monday, January 9, 2012

I am going to be MIA (missing in action) for the next few days as my focus is not on crafting or my blog...we are getting ready to celebrate the wedding of my son Dylan to his fiance Sarah this coming Saturday. So I apologise in advance for my poor blogging and sharing anything with you here...I even accidently deleted the photo I took of the wedding card I made for my cousin's wedding this past weekend, before loading it to my laptop, sorry!

However, don't forget to pop back on Friday as I will have a post ready for JAI to go live that day!

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Well life has been busy celebrating Christmas and bringing in the New Year, while renovating a room and getting prepared for my son's wedding next weekend...besides just relaxing and procrastinating in there some where!

The last few days I have been busy finishing off the 100 place cards required for the wedding and I thought before I dropped them off to the soon to be bride and groom I would take a photo of them and post them here to share with you all.

Here is a group shot, with several of them hidden under others, while I quickly spread them out to take the photo. Trust me there are 100, and I actually made more than 100 as a couple of people can't come now and I also typed my sister's maiden name and not her married name...she has been married for years, so how I did that I don't know! Glad I checked and double-checked them. Hopefully, Sarah and Dylan don't find any other mistakes on them.

Here are a few close up shots of the bride and groom's place cards and how I also did the ones for the bridal party, plus a guest place card. I really like the font my son chose for the wedding invitations and which I followed on with for the place cards. I also continued on with the Baroque Motifs flourish that I had used on the invitations (which you see in this post here) and of course Sarah's favourite colour purple, using Elegant Eggplant cardstock.

Can't believe I missed this, should be Sarah Collins at the Reception!
Good pick up from my sister. Had to make another one.

I am really quite pleased with how they turned out. Now all I have to do is finishing off the Guest Book!